One Night In Detention
by may1331
Summary: James, Albus, and Lily  Potter, Harry's children, serve separate detentions in the Forbidden Forest.  There, they accidentally come across a Stone that has been lost for many years and meets the people that they have always heard about it, but never knew.
1. James Sirius Potter

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.

Set a few years after the epilogue. Harry's son, James meets the people who have affected his father's life in more ways than he ever imagined.

Enjoy!

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James Sirius Potter had detention. Again. It seems like every week he gets another detention. What made this one even worse was that he got a Howler from his mother. A Howler!! That is so embarrassing. James had opened it that morning at breakfast and was trying to hide his embarrassment from the rest of the Gryffindor table who seemed to delight in his misfortunes. Granted, he did try to be the number one prankster and he believed that all of his detentions were evidence of that. James also always tried to get caught. He didn't want anybody else taking credit for something that he had done. But he also didn't like being embarrassed in front of his fellow Gryffindors and his younger brother and sister who were in their third and first years at Hogwarts.

"Hagrid? It's me, James. I'm here for detention." James stood outside of Hagrid's hut. He liked visiting Hagrid. Hagrid always told him all of these stories about his father, Harry Potter, and his uncles, Ron, George, and Fred Weasley. James wished that he was as legendary as them. Some people are still talking about the things that his father and his uncles have done. He just wanted to live up to the family name. He knew that his father was famous. He knew that his uncles were famous. He just wanted to fit in with them. He wanted to be as brave as his father and his uncles.

He had learned all about them in History of Magic. Not to mention all of the stories that he had heard about them in the five years he had been at Hogwarts.

But this year, they really studied about the Dark wizard, Voldemort, and his downfall to his father. Both times. Earlier that day, they had studied about the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbledore. They were talking about his death today and how it was a planned death, not a murder. James had already heard a lot about Professor Dumbledore. His relatives spoke of him often, especially whenever his parents relived their memories of Hogwarts. He wished so desperately to meet this man who influenced his father so much that he named one of his children after him.

He also desperately wanted to meet his grandparents. He knew that his father had never met them either, but James held this aching feeling for them. He knew that he was named for his grandfather. His other grandmother, Molly, and grandfather, Arthur were wonderful. Even at 15 years old, James looked forward every year to the hand-knitted sweater that his grandmother made him. But he just felt a hole for his father's parents.

James also wanted to meet his father's godfather, Sirius, the other man who he was named after. And he heard about their best friend, Remus, who was a werewolf. Remus, that was Teddy's father and James absolutely loved Teddy.

"Alrigh' there, James?" Hagrid came bumbling out of his cottage, with Fang right behind him. James put his hand in front of Fang so he could lick it.

"Yeah, what are we doing tonight?"

"Forbidden Forest," Hagrid answered. "Professor Longbottom wants us to get some sprouts fer 'im."

"Why can't he do it?"

Hagrid smirked at him as he turned to look at him. "Cuz yer the one who's in detention."

James rolled his eyes and followed Hagrid towards the Forbidden Forest.

" 'S not unlike yer father, James. Yer more like 'im than yeh know. More than just the detentions."

James looked at him, surprised. "But my dad's this big hero. I'm nothing like him."

"Yer a Gryffindor, aren't yeh?"

"Yeah, but--"

Hagrid laughed and clapped a hand on James' back. " 'S all right. I would say yer more like yer grandfather anyway. With a bit o' Sirius. An' Fred an' George."

"No, I'm not. They're legendary. My grandfather and Sirius became Animagi when they were still at school. The swamp that Uncle George and Uncle Fred left is still up there."

"Yeh got to 'ave left school to be legendary, James!"

"Well then, I guess I've got another two years to go, then, Hagrid."

Hagrid smiled and the two of them traipsed into the Forest in silence.

James knew which sprouts Professor Longbottom needed. He still couldn't believe that he was the one who put James in detention. They saw each other over the holidays! And his mum even made him give love to Professor Longbottom at the start of every school year. As if they didn't visit with each other over the summer.

"Do yeh think yeh'll be okay alone, James? I'll go down 'ere and yeh head that way." Hagrid pointed .

James' eyes widened. "Aren't there centaurs and Acromantulas and werewolves and stuff out there?"

"Yeh look like yer father, James. The centaurs won't hurt yeh. The only werewolf that I knew o' out 'ere was Remus Lupin. An' as fer the Acromantulas, just use yer wand to alert me."

James nodded and headed toward where Hagrid pointed. He didn't want to be a coward in the Forest. Sure, he's snuck in here a few times, but James had always stuck to the outer rim of the Forest, keeping the castle in plain view, where he had always served detention before.

He walked a few paces, listening to the silence of the Forest. He used his wand to help him find the sprouts and bent to cut some. James had gathered a fairly good amount after about half an hour. He looked around and realized that he didn't know where he was. His heart began to beat faster and he felt a lump in his throat. James struggled to find his wand from his pocket to light it up. He tripped over a tree root and fell, face first, sprawled out on the forest floor. His face hit soft ground and he spat out the dirt that got into his mouth. He moved to push himself up and picked up a stone that he felt underneath his hand. He traced his finger along a jagged line down the middle and felt a circle and a triangle surrounding the line. While looking around for his wand, he unconsciously turned over the stone three times in his hand.

James froze as he heard rustling around him. He closed his eyes, hoping that whatever was near him would pass by without noticing him. He continued to hear slight movements around him and squeezed his eyes even harder.

"It's okay."

James did not recognize this voice, but it made him feel strangely calm. He opened his eyes slowly and saw someone before him. In front of him was a man who was neither ghost nor flesh. He recognized this man for he saw him everytime he looked upon his father or even in his reflection in the mirror.

"Grandpa James?"

The person before him grinned widely and nodded.

"Don't forget about me now. You are, after all, named after me, too."

James turned at this voice and looked upon a handsome man with a wide smile on his face.

"Sirius?"

Sirius nodded and smiled as well. Jame clutched the stone even harder. He turned and saw a man whose face he recognized, but didn't know.

"And you're Teddy's father, right? Remus."

Remus grinned widely and nodded.

"Oi! I hope you haven't forgotten about me!"

James turned again and saw the familiar face. It was exactly like the one that he knew except it looked younger and had two ears.

"Uncle Fred?"

Fred nodded. "Shame you got your looks after your father's side."

Sirius laughed out loud while the elder Jame glared at Fred, playfully. The younger James looked around, expectantly.

"Hello, my dear."

James' eyes almost watered at the sight of his beautiful grandmother. He looked into her eyes, the same eyes that his father and younger brother had.

"Grandma Lily?"

Lily nodded and stretched her smile even wider.

James looked at each of them in confusion. "How is this possible? There is no spell that can reawaken the dead."

"We aren't back, James," his grandfather said gently. "We are merely here to, well, to say hello."

James stared at each of them dumbfounded. "I don't know what to say."

"What, you've never prepared yourself for the moment when you meet your dead grandparents, their two best friends, and uncle? What are you, crazy?" said Fred, playfully.

James managed a weak smile in return. "You look exactly like Uncle George."

Fred furrowed his brow. "I wonder why..."

Remus smiled and shook his head in amusement. "Let me help make this easier for you, James," he said. "How's Teddy?"

Immediately, James began to speak. He had looked up to Teddy ever since he could remember. "He's getting married this summer! To Victoire. Our Teddy to our Victoire. Finally! Now he's really in the family," said James excitedly. "I'm going to be one of the ushers! And Dad's going to be his best man."

"Tell Harry that I said thank you," said Remus. "Thank him for being the best godfather he could be."

James nodded. He knew why they were here now. They wanted to know about their family. They probably already knew everything about him and the rest of his family, but they wanted their families to know that they were alright, too.

"And tell Teddy that I love him and I'm always watching over him."

James nodded again. He looked at his Uncle Fred again. "Uncle George still misses you. He still talks about you all the time. Freddie is going to start at Hogwarts next year. Uncle George threatened to keep him back a year because he turned little Molly's teddy bear into a spider last year."

Fred smiled wistfully. "Let him know that I'm always there, too. I miss him; it's so weird without him."

James turned to Sirius and his grandfather. They both looked at him with smiles on their faces.

"How did you guys become Animagi in your fifth year?"

Immediately, James, Sirius, Remus, Fred, and Lily broke out in laughter while James stared at them, waiting for an answer.

"It's a long story," said Sirius. "Something that I wouldn't recommend."

"But I'm in my fifth year! I want to become an Animagus! I know why you guys became Animagi. Dad use to tell us all the time. And Teddy brought me to the Shrieking Shack when I first got to Hogwarts. He said Dad showed it to him."

"Fifth year, James?" said his grandmother. "Shouldn't you be studying for your O.W.L.S instead of serving detention in the Forest?" she added playfully.

"I don't need to study," answered James. "I already know it all."

"At least he didn't get Harry's brains," said Fred, laughing. "Only Harry's skill on a broom. Tell me, how's the Chaser's life?"

"It's great! In our last match, we beat Slytherin 890-870! Albus was brilliant when he caught the Snitch! Him and Scorpius were neck and neck in looking for it throughout the entire match." James paused a bit. "And did you know that the swamp that you and Uncle George made is still there? It's still roped off."

"Absolutely brilliant!" exclaimed James. He looked at Sirius. "Why didn't we ever think of turning the hallway into a swamp?"

Remus and Lily rolled their eyes.

"You two were too busy nicking food from the kitchens," said Lily. "The house-elves knew exactly what you wanted and when you wanted it."

"It's a wonder why they didn't just deliver to your beds," added Remus.

"They should have!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Speaking of house-elves," interrupted James. He looked at his grandfather's best friend. "You should hear how Kreacher tries to not talk about you. It's quite hilarious, actually."

"Why?" asked Sirius, amused. "What does he say?"

"Well, Dad said Kreacher hated you and we were not to listen to what he said about you. But Kreacher loves Dad and would never dream of crossing him so when Dad starts talking about you, Kreacher always calls you a nasty brat who broke his mistress's heart. And then he gets angry with himself and tries to punish himself even though Dad hasn't forbidden Kreacher to say bad things about you. He said Kreacher does it out of habit and thinks that Kreacher tries to forget about you. He still wears your brother's locket everywhere."

Sirius smiled. "Regulus was far more braver than I had ever imagined."

"We still can't get that Permanent Sticking Charm off of your mother's portrait, though. So Aunt Hermione charmed the curtains to stay shut when I was five."

Sirius laughed. "Figures."

"And Dad left your room as it was."

"Well I did put Permanant Sticking Charms on my pictures too."

James nodded. "He let me move in there."

Sirius smiled again.

"So how many detentions has it been, James?" his grandfather asked, smiling.

"Hey, I have a lot of people to live up to," he protested.

Lily laughed. "Don't get taken away. Having the record for the most detentions is not the greatest way to be remembered. Especially when most of those detentions are cleaning bedpans in the hospital wing or scrapping dead flobberworms off of the dungeon walls."

"You know about that?" James asked incredulously.

"Of course," his grandfather answered. "We are always watching over you. You and Albus and Lily."

James gave a small smile. "Dad said that Albus was named for--"

"For the greatest headmaster of Hogwarts? He is."

"I know...I just wish I got to meet him. My dad really looks up to him. And all of you guys. I'm glad I got to meet you guys. I've dreamed so long..."

"Please forgive me, James."

James turned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and saw an old man with a beard that almost swept the ground. "Dumbledore?" he asked incredulously.

Dumbledore nodded. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting, but I was trying to convince someone to come along."

James turned his gaze to the man next to Dumbledore. A pale man stood there, wearing a long black cloak.

"Professor Snape?" James whispered.

"Professor? I do not recall ever teaching you."

"My dad thinks highly of you, Sir." James felt intimidated with no reason why. He saw Lily smile encouragingly at him while James, Sirius, and Remus exchanged a look with one another.

Snape looked at James for the longest time. "You look exactly like your grandfather and father." Snape's eyes flickered to the elder James. "Hopefully you can show the same bravery as we who stand before you."

"Of course, Snape," said James. "He's a Potter. And a Gryffindor." James looked at his grandson proudly and pretended to take out a sword from his waist. "But hopefully, there will never come a time when you have to test your bravery."

"I am pleased to see you, James," said Dumbledore. "Although it is for a very short period of time, I'm afraid."

"What? No, I could stay out here all night."

"But we cannot." Dumbledore smiled. "Hagrid is nearly finished with his task. And you with yours." Dumbledore looked upon James. "But, I must say that I am glad that you have made good use of the headmaster's office."

James smiled sheepishly. He heard Hagrid's voice calling for him. He looked back at the seven people in front of him with sadness in his eyes.

"I don't want to leave yet. I want to know more, I want to talk to you all for a bit longer."

"You must go, James," said Dumbledore. "You are to return to the castle and prepare for your upcoming exams, while we will be content to watch from afar."

"I know, but..."

"We are with you always. All of us."

"Especially us," said his grandfather.

James looked at all of them for the longest time.

Snape looked at him and spoke first. "Tell your father...tell him thank you. And your younger brother...make sure he succeeds in Potions." Snape smirked. "Can't have anyone with the name Severus to do poorly in that subject."

James looked at him and nodded.

"Tell George that I'm here, always," said Fred. "Let Mum and Dad know that I love them. Tell Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny that I said hello. Tell them that I love them and I miss them."

"Tell Teddy that I am with him," said Remus. "I love him. And tell your father thank you."

"Let your dad know that we're waiting for him whenever he's ready," said Sirius.

James looked at him in surprise.

"We'll be waiting for you, too," he continued. "Only when you're ready."

"I still can't believe my son has children," said James. "It seems like just yesterday he was a year old." He looked at his grandson, smiling. "You do well, okay? And ask your dad about a map of Hogwarts. One from Moony, Prongs, and Padfoot. And ask him about the Invisibility Cloak."

"Invisibility Cloak?"

His grandfather nodded and smiled. James looked at his grandmother. She smiled lovingly at him.

"We love you," she said. "And we love your brother and sister. Let them know that we are with them always. Let your parents know that we love them."

James nodded and smiled. He looked at Dumbledore.

"Your father was one of the bravest men that I knew. His legacy lives on within you." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You have the brains of your grandfather, the heart of your grandmother, and the bravery of your father. Good luck in everything that you do, James Sirius Potter."

James nodded at him and smiled. "Thank you."

His grandmother raised a hand. "We love you."

He barely heard her last words as the Stone in his hands slipped and disappeared into the darkness. He immediately looked down to pick it up again, but decided against it. If there was anything else he wanted to say to them, he knew that they already knew.

James turned and called for Hagrid. He couldn't wait to get back to the castle and owl his father. He was already planning on asking his parents, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and Uncle George to meet them in Hogsmeade that weekend. James wanted to tell them about this in person. He couldn't wait to see his father's reaction.

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Please review! 


	2. Albus Severus Potter

I've decided to do another chapter focusing on Albus Severus Potter and his "journey" into the Forbidden Forest. I hope you all like! I kind of tie in this story with that of my other story, "The Wake of a New Beginning." Nothing too big, if you haven't read the other one, you're not completely lost in this one.

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Albus Severus Potter could not believe that he had gotten detention. He was the good kid compared to his older, more mischievous brother, James Sirius Potter, who has made quite a name for himself at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Albus was a good boy and did his homework before class, never copied from anyone and did quite well in his classes, although maybe not to the point of his Aunt Hermione. He longed to be as good at school as she was, especially with a name like 'Albus.'

At a mere 15 years old, Al, which he preferred to go by, felt like he had a lot to live up to. First, his father is the legendary Harry Potter, saviour of all wizard-kind. It was weird whenever Al's parents would drop him and his younger sister off at the train station because everyone stared. It also didn't help that of him and his siblings, he was the one who inherited the green eyes from his Grandma Lily. He was learning all about how his father, his uncle, and his aunt were pretty much the three who brought down the most evil of all evil wizards, Lord Voldemort. Second, his name was Albus, after the great wizard, Dumbledore. No need to look further than a Chocolate Frog card to know how important he is in magical history. And third, his middle name was Severus, after probably the most brilliant professor and headmaster at Hogwarts and the most bravest person his father knew.

As Al headed towards Hagrid's hut to serve his detention, he stopped at the memorial that his father helped construct on the Hogwarts grounds and gazed at a few names that he was accustomed to staring at. James Potter. Lily Potter. Sirius Black. Fred Weasley. Remus Lupin. Severus Snape. Albus Dumbledore.

He recalled a story that his older brother had told him a couple of years ago, when James was a fifth year. It was about these very people. James had said that he believes that they are all with them, with him, with Albus, and with Lily, every day of their life. Albus scoffed at the memory. He believes in no such thing. Those who have past are long dead and gone. There is no logical way they could be with him. He knows better than his older brother, who has always relied on instinct and games.

Al knows that there is a sort of afterlife for some wizards and witches. He sees the ghosts gliding through the halls of Hogwarts every day that he's been there and has even spoken to them on occassion. But he also knows that there is no way to bring back the dead, so there is no way that the very people who were so important to his father, could be with him. Truth be told, he was deathly afraid of what was to come after this life. At this point in his short life, death was his biggest fear. So he immersed himself into knowledge, wanting to grasp everything he could learn about this life and what was to come.

"Hagrid!" called Al, as he knocked on the door to Hagrid's hut. "I'm here to serve my detention."

"We', I'll be, Albus," Hagrid said, opening the door. "When I 'eard it was detention, I din't think it was yeh."

Al shrugged. "I got caught out of my dormitory after hours. I was in the library. Don't you think this is a pretty harsh punishment? I mean, couldn't I have gotten lines or something?"

"Oh, yeh wouldn't wan' lines, Albus," laughed Hagrid. "No' after wha' yer father 'ad to go through, writin' lines an' all."

Al shrugged again. "Can't believe everything you hear, I guess."

Hagrid looked at Albus, seemingly unsure of what to say next. "Well, let's get ter move on. Professor Longbottom 'ill be wantin' those 'erbs fer tomorrow."

For the third time, Al shrugged. "Whatever you say, Hagrid."

The two of them traipsed to the Forbidden Forest in silence.

"Do yeh think yeh'll be okay, alone, Albus?" Hagrid grinned at him.

Al knew why he was grinning. Hagrid always grinned at him every time he said his name. He knew it was because of Hagrid's deep love and respect for his namesake. Hagrid was the only who still called him 'Albus.' "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just use my wand and call you with red sparks."

"That'er boy." Hagrid ruffled his hair, making it more messy than when it was and headed off into one direction.

Al sighed, glad to be working by himself, but afraid at what might've been out in the forest. He had heard of different creatures living in the forest and a number of different thoughts ran through his mind. 'What if a centaur's arrow is shot and I am killed? What if an Acromantula carries me off and eats me for dinner? What if a basilisk comes out and Albus doesn't cover his eyes fast enough? What if a thestral mistakes him for food?' He couldn't even see those things.

He sighed and trembled a bit before he pointed his wand to another direction and whispered, "Lumos," allowing his wand to light up. Al walked around the Forest and started to cut the sprouts and herbs that he knew Professor Longbottom needed. There were a lot of interesting things in the Forest and Al wished the light emanating from his wand was brighter so that he could see more.

After about a half an hour, Al gathered what he thought was enough sprouts and was ready to head back to the castle. He looked around and didn't exactly know where he was. Al sighed and performed the Four-Point spell, directing him to the right way. He gathered the sprouts in his basket and proceeded to head in the correct direction, but something caught his eye.

"Hmm," he thought. "That's an odd-looking rock." Al picked it up and examined it closely. It was very old, but that wasn't surprising. The interesting thing about the rock was the imprint on it. Al wondered where it came from. He looked at it closer. It had a jagged line down the middle and saw a circle and a triangle surrounding the line. He remembered seeing this in the storybook that his Aunt Hermione would read to him and Rose, his cousin. He traced his finger down the lines and turned the rock over in his hands three times, wanting to fully examine the stone.

Al froze upon hearing rustling in the trees around him. He did not want to move in fear of alerting the creature to his whereabouts. Albus slowly turned to face what was coming towards him and his mouth dropped open in surprise.

The sight before him was none that he would have ever imagined. The faces, the people that he saw were only seen in old photographs.

"What...what-what-wh-"

Sirius Black laughed. "Is that all you could say, kid? Wh-what...what?" He looked over at a familiar-looking face. "You need to teach your grandson some new words."

James Potter laughed. "Oh, do leave him alone, Sirius. He is, after all, a grandson of mine that is named after a Slytherin. Don't know what Harry was thinking with that."

"He was thinking that Severus had done a very noble thing!" Lily Potter said, haughtily. She turned to face her grandson. "Now, let me look at you." She grinned at her grandson. "Very lovely."

"I have to agree with Lily on this, James," Remus Lupin said. "Right when we thought Severus was on the other side, we were wrong. We were wrong the whole time."

The four of them stopped talking and surrounded Al, who turned in a circle to look at everyone.

"Well, hello, Albus," James said. "It is nice to actually see you out and about and not buried in a book."

Al furrowed his brow. "I'm not always in a book," he said, defensively. "And the name's 'Al'."

"Of course you're not, dear boy," Lily said. "You have grown to be so handsome. And your proper name is Albus."

"Nothing can bring back the dead."

"Of course not, Albus," Sirius said.

"We're not really 'back'," added Remus.

"Then what are you? Am I dreaming? This seems so real. Did I fall and bump my head?"

"No, no," James said. "This is all real. You are in the forest. You see us, as you should, since you used the Resurrection Stone."

"Resurrection Stone? Nothing can resurrect the dead."

"We are not resurrected, Albus," James said, gently. "We are merely-"

"Shadows," supplied Lily. "We are shadows of what we once were, living in this time."

"But does that mean that you have not moved on? I asked Nearly Headless Nick about you all once before, but he said that you all would have moved on. I keep expecting you to come gliding through Hogwarts..."

"We have moved on, Albus," said Remus. "We have completed all that we set out to do."

"But...we need you. My dad...he misses you guys. All of you."

"And we miss him and love him, too," said Sirius. "But...we weren't afraid of death. And you shouldn't be either."

"I'm not," Al said automatically. He noticed that his grandparents and their friends looked at each other before saying anything else. "I'm not afraid."

Lily nodded. "We are so very proud of you! Top of your class and prefect to boot!"

"What's a prefect like you serving detention?" A new voice echoed in the forest.

Albus turned his head at the new shadow that appeared. "Uncle Fred?"

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"I think the two ears might've gave it away," Sirius joked.

Al nodded slowly. "Yeah. And the fact that I'm going crazy talking to dead people. This is just not logical."

"You're not crazy," Lily reassured. "And not everything has to be logical. Some things are better served as instinct, or feeling."

"Yeah," James said. "In fact, when your older brother was also 15 years old, serving detention for Longbottom in the forest with Hagrid, we met him just like we are meeting you now."

Al eyed them suspiciously. "My brother is a prankster. Are you working with him?"

Laughter echoed throughout the forest.

"And he's a pretty good one, too!" exclaimed Fred.

"And no, we are not working with him," added Remus. "This is us. We are real, we are true. We are not actual bodies, but we have come."

"Come for me?" Albus' eyes opened in shock.

"No," said James. "We have come...let's say for a little visit."

"And how did you get here?"

"I believe I could answer that question." Al turned at the sound of another new voice. He looked at who it was immediately knew who this revered wizard was.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, yes, Albus." He smiled warmly at Albus through the forest light. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. How we came to be here, with you. It starts with the stone that you are holding."

Albus instinctively looked down at the stone, still clenched in his fist. "What about it?"

"That is the Resurrection Stone. Have you ever heard of it, Albus?"

"Only in myths, sir."

"Very well. Have you heard of the Tale of the Three Brothers?"

"Yes, sir. Aunt Hermione read us that story from her book...but I don't see what it has to do with this. She's the most logical person I know."

Dumbledore smiled over his glasses. Al stared back into Dumbledore's eyes. He's heard the many stories from his father and felt like Dumbledore was looking at him much like he looked at Harry while he was alive. "The second brother was the owner of the very stone you are holding. And your dear Aunt Hermione had to also learn that not everything can be taught from books. There are things that are done out of feeling."

Albus furrowed his brow, thinking hard. "But...that doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?" asked James.

"This stone...nothing can bring back the dead. If anything could...I'm sure my father would have found a way to bring you all back. He wouldn't have had to grow up an orphan." He looked at Remus. "Teddy wouldn't have been an orphan, too." He looked at Fred. "Uncle George would have his closest brother." He looked at Sirius. "My father would've had some guidance while he was fighting Voldemort." He looked at Dumbledore. "And the greatest headmaster of Hogwarts would've lived on."

"That's nice, Albus," started Sirius, "but...would we have wanted to come back?"

"Yes, of course. What could be worse than death?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Ah, young Potter," said Dumbledore. "There are many a fate that is worse than death."

"But this stone...it isn't logical. If this stone is that of the tale, than surely, the other two-the wand and the cloak- are real, too."

"And so they are," said Lily.

"And your father, the young Harry Potter," said Dumbledore, "is the master of all. That is why you are able to master the stone as well. His blood runs through your veins."

"My father is the master of death? That surely means that he cannot die, right?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "It's not that simple, Albus."

"As I have had to learn," said Lily," things are not always right or wrong, black or white, logical or illogical. There can be things in the middle."

"And things that are even muddier that cannot be seen to the naked eye." Al turned and looked at the new person who approached them.

"Severus Snape?"

"Indeed."

Al was more confused than ever. Standing before him with gleaming white smiles were his grandfather, grandmother, their two best friends, his uncle, and his two namesakes. "This whole...everything is nuts. This is crazy. You all are not standing before me." He shut his eyes, but did not release the Stone from his grasp. He opened his eyes and saw everyone there.

"We are here for you, Albus," said Lily. "You need not be afraid. Nor do you need to look at everything with just one answer."

"And don't be afraid of death," James said. "Look at us. We're all perfectly happy."

"We're all perfectly peaceful," corrected Remus. "A fate worse than death? An afterlife without peace."

"Like Nearly Headless Nick. The Bloody Baron. The Grey Lady. Moaning Myrtle," added Sirius. "Death is...a long, peaceful sleep after a lifetime of work."

"Does it hurt?"

"No. Not at all."

"Why are you afraid of death, Albus?" James asked.

"Because...because I don't know anything about it. Nearly Headless Nick couldn't tell me anything. Anything that made sense."

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "Fear of the unknown. It is probably one of the greatest fears around."

"Albus," said Lily. "You are a brilliant wizard-"

"And even though we haven't come from one of those books you love to read so much," continued Fred.

"We can teach you something, also," said James. "You have heard stories about us, stories from when we were alive, am I right?"

Al nodded, but didn't say anything.

"You see us here, tonight," said Remus. "And that is through the help of the Resurrection Stone that you hold in your hand."

Al looked down at his hand, still tightly wrapped around the Stone.

"But the Stone," said Sirius, "only helps you 'see' us. We are always here." He looked at each of his friends, his former headmaster, and his former enemy. "All of us."

Al looked at them confused. "Are you always together? Just there with me?"

Lily laughed and shook her head. "We are not necessarily always together. But we are and will always be with you, your brother and your sister. Your father."

"My brothers and sister," added Fred. "And my nephews and nieces."

Al looked at Snape and then at his grandfather and his two friends. "My dad said you guys didn't even like each other. Why am I to believe that you are friends in death? That isn't-"

James smiled. "Again, not everything has to be logical, Albus." He looked at Severus. "Snape, here, has earned my utmost respect. I owe him the life of my son." He glanced briefly at Snape again and leaned into Albus. "And he never lets me forget it," he whispered, eliciting the first smile from Albus.

Severus furrowed his brow before speaking. "And I feel as if I had changed in death, Albus Severus." He moved closer to Albus. "I lived my life the only way that I knew how. I knew not how to befriend others. I knew not how to stay away from the dark arts. I knew only to take care of myself. To keep me alive."

"And Harry," added Dumbledore. "Severus did know one thing during his lifetime."

Al looked at Snape expectantly. "A secret potions-"

"No, no, dear boy." Dumbledore and the others laughed. "Severus knew how to love."

"My dad always says that love is the answer to any of our problems. When my brother or sister and I don't get along, he always says that every problem is small if we still have the love for each other."

"And he is right. To love is to be human. The one thing that saved Severus and your father was the love for your grandmother. The one thing that saved the wizard world is the love your father feels for the world that he feels home in. The world that his children are raised in, the world that he lives in, and the world that his future descendants will live in. When you forget to love, you forget to be human."

"Like Voldemort?"

Dumbledore nodded. Al took a step back and looked at each of the people in front of him. He took his time before saying anything, digesting everything that he had just heard. He noticed a glow coming from each of them. His grandfather, grandmother, Sirius, Remus, and Fred looked very much like the photos he saw of them. Dumbledore looked exactly like the portrait hanging in the headmaster's office. But Snape...Snape looked the most different of all.

"You all-you all look so peaceful. I didn't see it earlier. Or I guess I didn't notice it earlier. I'm sorry for-"

"No need to apologize," Lily said happily. "Just know that we love you. We will always love you."

"Yeah," agreed James. "Even if you decide to drop out and become a wizard clown."

Al's eyes widened as he shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that. I'm up for the Potions award."

Snape couldn't even hold his smile in as everyone laughed. "An award worthy of the name 'Severus'."

"See, Sev?" Lily said. "Gryffindors aren't all brawn. We've got some brains, too."

"Do you miss us?"

"Every day," said Fred. "How I wish I could be there with all of you. With George when he and Angelina got married and had children. But I am happy to know that he knows that I am there. He is my twin. We've never had to live without each other. And we never will now."

Everybody quieted down as they heard Hagrid call for Albus.

"It is time for you to return to the castle," said Dumbledore.

"I don't want to," Al said. "I think I've learned more tonight than I've ever had in classes."

"We'll be waiting for you," said Sirius. "When you are ready. We will see each other again."

"But do not seek us out," said Remus.

Al nodded. "I remember in the story from Aunt Hermione...the brother goes mad and kills himself."

"And we do not want the same fate for you. Come when you are at peace with your life."

Al nodded again. He looked at each of them before him. "There's so much I want to know. So much I want to ask."

"Your thirst for knowledge is everything a teacher could ask for," said Dumbledore. "To love is to be human. To feel is to be human. Do not rely on your books. Trust your instincts. It is what makes you human."

"And your father..." started Snape. "He says that I am the bravest man that he knows. Tell him that he is the bravest man I know. A true son of his mother."

"Tell my parents, my brothers and my sister that I love them," said Fred. "Tell your cousins, also."

"And please...let Teddy know that I am truly proud of him," added Remus.

"We are always here, Albus," said Sirius. "Loosen up a bit," he added grinning. "You don't have to read your life away! Your Aunt Hermione learned that. You should, too. Go on and steal some food from the kitchens."

"Sneak out after hours," added James. "Have fun at Hogsmeade. Your dad knows the way."

"Just, don't go with a werewolf," said Remus. "And I do believe that James stole the Map from Harry after we told him about it."

"The Marauders' Map?" asked Albus. "It does exist?"

Sirius, James, and Remus nodded. "Have fun a bit," said James. "We will love you no matter what."

"And you have nothing to fear," said Lily. "If you do not know something, trust your instincts, your feelings. We will be here to guide you on your way."

Hagrid's voice grew louder and Al looked back. He held the stone in one hand and his wand in the other. He looked down at his feet at the sprouts and herbs that he had gathered and glanced up at the people before him.

"Thank you," he said. "I love you all."

His grandmother smiled and raised a hand. "We love you, too."

Al smiled and looked down to pick up the sprouts and herbs, dropping the stone as he did so. As soon as it left his hand, he could feel them physically leave. He stood straight up and looked around and smiled. "Nox," he whispered to his wand and the light immediately went out. He heard Hagrid calling for him and in spite of the darkness, began to walk towards where he thought Hagrid and the castle were.

"Yeh were out there wi'out your wand light, Albus?" Hagrid asked, flummoxed. "Wha' were yeh thinkin'?"

Al smiled as he handed Hagrid the things that he gathered. "I was thinking that I didn't have to know where I went. I just felt like I was going in the right direction. I trusted that I would find my way."

Hagrid clapped a hand to Al's back, but didn't say anything. "Well, yeh have a good nigh', Albus. I'll see yeh in class tomorrow."

"See you Hagrid!" Al left Hagrid at his hut and ran back to the castle. He opened the doors to the castle and ran into someone, knocking himself and the other person down.

"Watch out, Al!" his older brother yelled, pulling himself to his feet. He helped his brother up, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. "Was my little, perfect brother serving detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid?" James smirked.

In spite of their two-year age gap, Al stood almost as tall as James. He grinned at his older brother. "You have the Map."

James furrowed his brow. "What do you know of a Map?" James crossed his arms and stood toe-to-toe with his younger brother.

Albus didn't back down from his older brother. He, too, crossed his arms and stared into the brown eyes that he saw earlier on his grandfather. "And the cloak."

"What cloak do you speak of?" James smirked.

"You know which cloak. And the Map. Does Dad know that you stole it from him?"

This time James grinned. "Are you asking about a midnight run to Hogsmeade? Or a midnight snack to the kitchens?" He put his arm around his younger brother. "Are you approving?"

"So does Dad know you have it?"

James slightly shook his head. "I found it in his desk after...you saw them, too, didn't you!"

Albus nodded. "How come you never said anything?"

"I did. You didn't believe me." James led his brother to the Gryffindor Tower. "Come, Albus, we have much to discuss over a butterbeer at the Hog's Head."

* * *

Please review!


	3. Lily Luna Potter

And here's Lily's detention!

* * *

Lily Luna Potter slowly walked down the stairs from the Great Hall. She looked up at the dark and starry night and shook her head, wondering how she had gotten into this mess.

She thought about her earlier Herbology class with Professor Longbottom, her parents' old friend. She accidentally let a mandrake loose and nearly took out half the class. But really, it wasn't her fault.

Okay, so she should've been paying attention to Professor Longbottom when he was speaking, but she would have preferred that he took points away from Gryffindor rather than sending her to Hagrid to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't even completely sure that she knew what kind of herbs and plants he needed. Or why he needed.

But here she was, a fifth-year Gryffindor prefect, on her way to serve detention.

She carefully stepped down the stairs and headed towards Hagrid's hut. It grew darker and darker and Lily shivered in the cool air, wishing she had worn a cloak. She knocked on the door and waited for Hagrid to come out.

"Hagrid?" she called. "Are you there? It's me, Lily. I have to serve-"

"-detention fer Professor Longbottom?" Hagrid said, opening the door. He grinned at her as he stepped outside and shut door. He started heading toward the Forbidden Forest. "You Potters do have yer fair share o' detentions, don't yeh?"

Lily furrowed her brow as she walked faster to keep up with his pace. "I don't have _that_ many detentions. And I don't think Al had even one detention. But James...I could see that he had his fair share of detentions."

Hagrid laughed. "Not to mention yer father and yer grandfather!"

"Dad? He had a lot of detentions?"

"Don't tell 'im I told yeh, Lily. He won' be happy with that, no, he won'."

Lily smirked to herself. She had never known that her father was stuck in detention a lot. Since she's entered her fifth year, she's begun to study about the Battle of Hogwarts in History of Magic. Of course, she didn't pay attention as closely as she could have, but her parents and her aunts and uncles lived through it, so why can't she just ask them? But she's begun to learn of Voldemort and her own father, Harry Potter. She couldn't imagine her father being anything like the person Professor Binns talked about in his lectures.

For instance, her father was fairly strict on her and her brothers. Mostly on her, but she believed that was because she was the youngest and the only girl. The Harry Potter that she was learning about broke many rules and even a few laws. Her father would never dream of breaking the rules.

Also, her father worked for the Ministry of Magic. So, why would he spearhead an underground army of students, of all people?

"Here we are, Lily," Hagrid said, stopping in front of the Forbidden Forest. He took a step in and Lily closely followed. When they reached a fork in the forest, he looked at her. "Will yeh be all righ' if yeh wen' tha' way an' I wen' this?" He gestured in two different directions. "If not, we'll stay together."

Lily shook her head in defiance. "I'm not a baby, Hagrid. I'm not afraid of the Forest. I'll go this way."

Hagrid smiled underneath his beard. "All righ', Lily. If yeh need help, raise yer wand to signal me with red sparks."

Lily nodded confidently and headed down one end.

_"Lumos," _she whispered. She held her wand out in front of her, on the lookout for the plants that she needed to pull for Professor Longbottom. "Honestly," she thought. "Can't Professor Longbottom pick his own plants?"

She saw what she needed and bent down, using a knife that Hagrid had given her to cut out the plants that she needed. She heard a rustle behind her and suddenly stood up, holding her wand out before her.

She was scared, afraid at what she couldn't see. But she thought about the stories that she had heard from her older brothers, her uncles, and even a couple from her father. She was in Gryffindor, she wasn't going to back down!

"Who's there?" she called.

"You are the daughter of Harry Potter," a voice said in return.

"Yeah, so?" Lily looked defiant. "What's it to you?"

A centaur emerged from the shadows of the forest. It was followed closely by two others. It looked closely at Lily. She felt her heart beating in her chest, but she refused to look away from him.

"Nothing," he said.

"Come, Bane," the other centaur said. "We must go."

"All right, Ronan." He looked up. "The moon is exceptionally bright tonight."

With a swish of their tails, the three centaurs disappeared into the night, leaving Lily alone once again. She was a bit sorry after they had gone; she didn't really like being alone in the Forest. She shuddered, remembering her uncle telling her about acromantulas, giant spiders.

Lily held her wand out, looking for the right way to go. She had already gathered up the plants and herbs and figured that Professor Longbottom had gotten as much as she could carry. She waved it around, trying to see further, and caught her eye on something curious on the Forest floor.

"What's that?" she asked aloud. She carefully set down the plants and picked up, taking note of the strange markings on the face of a stone. She looked at it carefully. "These are the same markings in that book that Aunt Hermione used to read to us."

She closed her fist around it and opened her hand once again. She looked closely at it and held her wand higher. She conjured up a basket and placed the plants in it. Lily looked into the sky, taking note of the brightness of the moon that the centaurs pointed out just a few moments earlier. She unconsciously turned the stone over, three times in her hand and froze when she heard a rustling in the woods around her.

"Hello?" she called. "Hagrid? Erm...Bane? Ronan?"

There was no response.

"Anybody?"

"My dear child, we are here!"

Lily looked around. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw who was speaking to her.

"Um...Albus Dumbledore...sir?"

"Yes, dear child, yes!"

Dumbledore grinned and his blue eyes seemed to twinkle in the night's skies. He spread his arms out and motioned around him.

"It's nice to see you, dear Lily."

Lily stared at Dumbledore with wide, stricken eyes. She was speechless and opened and shut her mouth several times.

"If you have something to say, spit it out!" A playful voice emerged near her.

She whirled around and saw her Uncle George with two ears.

"Erm...Uncle Fred?"

"What? No, I'm George!"

Lily's eyes widened even more.

Fred laughed, seeing her reaction. "Just kidding, of course it's Fred."

"You know, that's not as funny when one of you is dead," replied a new voice.

Lily looked upon him. She recognized him, from old photos, yes, but mostly because she saw his eyes almost every day of her young life, prior to Hogwarts.

"...um...are you...you are Teddy's father!"

Remus Lupin grinned. "Yes. Yes, I am. And I do have to thank you and your family for so graciously welcoming him into your family."

"I think he was a part of it before I was even born."

Remus smiled. "You have given him a family that I could never have dreamed of. Thank you for being his family."

"And now we're really family! He and Victoire are to be married!"

Remus grinned. "I know. And I will be there on that day, standing beside him every step of the way."

Lily's brow furrowed. She looked around. "What...what are you all doing here, anyway? Aren't you all...well...dead?"

Fred looked surprised and looked at his hand. "Dead? That's _news_ to me!"

"Me too!" came a new voice. "Who would have imagined that, eh?"

Lily turned to look at the new voice. "Oh...and you're..."

"Sirius. Nice to meet you, Lils."

"I hate that nickname."

"I know. Your grandmother hated it, too."

She tried to give him a little smile. "I don't understand. What are you doing here? All of you?"

"Thought we'd pay you a little visit, didn't we?" Sirius grinned as he looked around at Remus, Fred, and Dumbledore. "Check on Harry's daughter serving _detention_ in the Forbidden Forest."

"Sirius, stop antagonizing my granddaughter."

Lily turned at the new voice. She smiled a little as she gazed upon the sight of her father. Looking closely, she noticed that his eyes were brown while her father's was green. "Grandfather James?"

He threw a sideways glance at Sirius. "Look. She recognizes me."

"Recognized me first."

Remus shook his head at their short argument.

"Well," said Fred, interrupting them. "It's nice to see that one of my nieces has her head on straight. What did Ron think, eh, of little Rosie being top of the class and never receiving any detentions?"

Liliy looked a little surprised. "Um...I don't know...she's older than me..."

"Well, I'm glad you've got a streak for rule-breaking."

Lily smiled a bit. "Well, it's nothing on my brother, but..."

At this moment, James, Sirius, and Remus burst out laughing.

"James did rather take after his grandfather in that department," Dumbledore said, gesturing to her grandfather.

"I'm so glad he stole the Invisibility Cloak," Sirius said.

"And the Map!" exclaimed Fred.

"Good kids, you all are," replied James with a grin. "Great kids."

"Yes." A new voice entered their conversation. A different voice; a woman's voice.

Lily turned around and saw her. Her namesake, her grandmother. Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes. "Grandmother Lily?" she asked, her voice choking in her throat.

"Yes," she said again. She smiled warmly and stood in front of her granddaughter. "You look just like your mother."

"But with your hair."

Lily laughed. "I love you. We all love you."

"I love you too, grandmother." She looked around. "I wish...I wish I could've really gotten to know you. I wish you were real. This is probably all happening in my head, but...I wish that you were all here with me."

The shadows of the people around her all smiled. They were interrupted by a loud coughing.

"If that's you, Snape, come out here and show your face," James called. He looked at his wife and smiled. "Come and meet my granddaughter."

Lily turned and saw a familiar-looking man emerge from the darker shadows. He had long hair and seemed to glide toward. He stopped in front of her and nodded. "Young Lily."

Her eyes widened. "H-h-h-hi..." For some reason, she was nervous. She wasn't sure she liked how he was staring at her. Like his eyes were boring into her soul.

For a long time, they did not speak. They just stood, staring at each other.

"You are very much like your grandmother."

"T-t-t-thank you." She stole a quick glance at her grandmother, who offered her a warm smile.

"I...we're learning about you in History of Magic...sir...you are...er-were...a very brave man."

Snape looked away. He gave her quick nod.

Lily could hear Hagrid yelling her name in the distance. She opened her mouth to speak. "Um...I...I think I have to go...but I don't want to. I want to stay here with you. I want to learn more."

"No." Her grandfather shook his head. "Go back to the school, Lily."

"Am I going crazy?" she asked. "You guys aren't alive." She looked down, talking to reassure herself. "This is just happening in your head, Lily. You didn't really just say that you wanted to stay here with a bunch of dead people." She closed and opened her eyes, still seeing the people before her. "Should I ask my mum to reserve a room in St. Mungo's?"

Dumbledore smiled gently. "You are not crazy, dear child. Yes, this is happening in your head, but who's to say that it's not real?"

In a split second, she dropped the stone from her hand, jumping at the sound of Hagrid's booming voice. At once, the figures of her grandparents, Sirius, Remus, Fred, Dumbledore, and Snape all disappeared.

"All righ' there, Lily?" Hagrid asked, looking down at her, concerned.

She looked up at him, speechless. Lily looked around quickly, trying to sneak a peek at one of the people who were standing there just moments ago.

"Lily? Are yeh all righ'"

She nodded, still not speaking.

"Erm...I'm jus' gonna call yer brother to come down." He waved his pink umbrella and something quick and silver flew from it, toward the castle. He picked up the plants that she gathered and firmly grasped her small arm in his giant hand, leading her out of the Forest. "Come on, Lily. 'S not far."

A few moments later, they emerged from the Forest. They stopped by Hagrid's hut and dropped off the plants there. Hagrid said that he would give it to Professor Longbottom in the morning.

"Now where is tha' brother of yers?"

He glanced toward the castle and saw a figure hurrying toward them.

"Hagrid!" he called, running toward the hut when he saw his sister. His cloak billowed behind him. "What happened? Lily, are you all right?"

Al took his cloak off and wrapped it around his sister. She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. He furrowed his brow for a second and glanced at Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid," he said, firmly grasping his sister's arm where Hagrid's had been. "I've got it from here."

"D'yeh wan' me to walk yer up to the castle?"

Al shook his head. "No. I've got it." He gestured down to the prominent badge on his chest. "I'm Head Boy. I think I can handle it," he added with a wry smile.

She slowly let her brother lead her away, toward the castle. Silently, they slowly walked up the stairs and headed for the Gryffindor common room. For once, it was empty and Al led Lily to a comfy chair beside the warm fire and forced her to sit down.

"Kreacher!" he called out.

At once, Kreacher appeared from thin air.

"Can you feth a butterbeer for Lily, please? She's feeling a little distressed at the moment."

Kreacher bowed and disappeared. He reappeared a moment later, with a tray of two butterbeers and a plate full of Cauldron Cakes. "Master Albus, Mistress Lily. Would you also like a shepherd's pie? There is some leftover in the Hogwarts kitchens."

"No thanks, Kreacher," replied Al. "Don't tell father about this. And call me Al!"

Kreacher bowed again and disappeared.

"Lil?" Al asked, taking a butterbeer and pushing it into Lily's hand. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Do you think people can come back from the dead?"

"No. I know that for a fact. People can't come back from the dead."

"Why are there ghosts, then?"

"Those are people that...that are still tied to this world. That haven't moved on."

"Do you think Grandfather James and Grandmother Lily and Uncle Fred and Sirius and Remus...do you think they would have moved on?"

Al furrowed his brow, wondering where this was coming from. He looked out the window at the Forbidden Forest, a vivid memory returning to him. "Did you see them, Lil? Our grandparents, Uncle Fred, Sirius, Remus...Dumbledore and Snape?"

Lily nodded her head with fear in her eyes. "Am I going crazy?"

Al shook his head. "No. But we have much to discuss, little sister." He grinned. "I should send for Kreacher to retrieve more Cauldron Cakes for us, no?" He threw a handful of Floo powder into the Gryffindor fireplace.

"Al! We're not allowed-"

Al waved her off. "Never mind that."

"What! You _always _follow the rules! You've never even gotten a detention!"

Al smiled. "James Sirius Potter!" he yelled into the fire. He turned back to his sister. "I have, actually gotten a detention. Just one. In my fifth year, too. And...let's just say...it was interesting to say the least."

"What?" asked James. His head poked through the fire.

"Can you get here tonight?"

"Al-why?"

"Lily just got out of detention."

"Yeah, so? She gets detention. It's you who doesn't get detention."

"No, James. Lily just had detention. _With _Hagrid. In the _Forbidden Forest._"

Lily rolled her eyes at her brothers. "What does it matter?"

A look of comprehension passed over James' eyes. "Ah, I see it now. I'll get there right away."

"How?" asked Lily. "It's late, it's after curfew."

"Easy," answered James. "I'll Apparate to Hogsmeade and come in that way."

"But it's _after_ curfew."

"That's all right, I have my ways. Al, keep a lookout for me on the Map, please."

Al nodded. "I will. Hey, James, do you think we should tell Dad about this?"

James smiled slyly. "Yes. But in some ways, I think he already knows."

"Didn't you tell him?"

"I was about to, but Uncle Ron interrupted me, telling us again of how he spoke Parseltongue that _one_ time! Honestly, _one_ time!"

Lily looked between her brothers, wondering what they were talking about. "I don't have time for games. I'm going to bed."

"No!" her brothers both called.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"I'll be there in about 15 minutes!" said James. He withdrew his head with a _pop_.

"What is he talking about?" Lily demanded from Al.

"You'll see when he gets here."

"How is he going to get here? It's after curfew! He can't come in till morning!"

"He has his ways." Al pulled out an old parchment from his pocket. He tapped it and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." At once, lines drew on it and Lily watched it in wonder.

"What...what is that?" She reached out for it, but Al withdrew it from her hand.

"Patience, young Lily. You'll see it in a moment."

"What's going on!"

"Lily, you've just been initiated into the family. Welcome."

Lily furrowed her brows in anger. "What are you talking about?"

Al grinned. He gestured at the Map. "Wow, James is faster than expected. He's coming up to the common room riiiiiiiight now..." Al walked over to the painting and opened it from the inside.

James walked inside. "Hey, Lily. So, I hear you had a detention tonight?" He grabbed a butterbeer from the tray and took a long swig. "It just so happens that young Al and I had a similar detention. In our fifth-year, too." He sat down on the comfy chair near the fire and gestured to a seat near him. "Take a seat, Lil. It's a long story."

* * *

Please review!

If you've read this chapter, I'm assuming you've also read the first couple of chapters. So here are a few things: I figured Lily would take a bit of Ginny's fire into her personality. Albus is the smart, by-the-book one. Kind of like an early Hermione. And James, naturally, takes after his two namesakes - James & Sirius. At least, how I would have imagined the two of them would've been at school.


	4. The Forbidden Forest

_**Many, many years later...**_

* * *

James Sirius Potter squinted into the sunlight. He looked back at his brother and sister who seemed to be taking their time walking down the stairs from the Great Hall.

"Hurry up!" he called, impatiently.

It had been years since he last walked these grounds. In fact, his own grandchildren now attended Hogwarts. He looked back at his siblings and felt like it was just yesterday that he was yelling at them to hurry up to head to their common rooms or to catch the carriages. He recalled a detention that he had served when he was fifteen years old, so many years ago. It was the best and most fun that he had ever had at a detention. And he's had a little more than his fair share of detentions over the years.

School was out for the summer holiday, so the grounds were not teeming with students as it usually was. He hurried past the gamekeeper's hut and reminisced about the old gamekeeper that was there when he was still at school. Rubeus Hagrid. He remained one of James' closest friends until his death a few years ago.

He was out of breath, winded. James was no longer the young lad that he had once been. Full of energy and couldn't stay still. Now that he was older, he's learned to rein it in a bit. Well, a lot, mostly. He looked back at his brother and sister, who were still taking their time.

But James still kept one trait that he had as a child: impatience.

"If you don't hurry up, I'll leave you!"

"Just wait up, James!" protested his younger sister, Lily. She pouted at him and moved her fiery red hair, streaked with gray, out of her face.

"I don't know how we are ever going to find it," said his younger brother, Al, helping Lily down the stairs. "The whole point is that we are not even supposed to seeking it, right? That's what Dad told us."

James thought back to a memorable lunch with his father, brother, and sister. He was already out of school, Al was in his seventh year, and Lily had just served her own detention. She was in her fifth year.

_Al had called him through the Floo Network the evening before. He was still at work, in his office, in the Department of Mysteries. At the time, he was in training to be an Unspeakable. But when Al called him and informed him that their sister just had a similar detention that he had had during his fifth year and that Al had during his fifth year, James immediately left his office and headed to Hogwarts._

_He and Al sent their father an emergency note, saying that it was extremely important he come to meet them for a drink at The Three Broomsticks. Their father had been a bit worried, but James and Al smoothed it over and convinced their parents that nothing was wrong. They just needed to see their father. They also had to convince their mother that everything was all right and that nobody was in trouble. Other than Lily, but she had already served her detention. They ended up meeting with Harry the next morning, after James and Al spent the entire night "educating" Lily on their family history._

_"Dad!" Al said, bounding into the pub. James and Lily grinned and smiled as they headed toward their father._

_Harry looked up from his newspaper and grinned when he saw his three children. He stood up and gave each of them a hug and gestured for all of them to sit down. He grinned and nodded at Madame Rosmerta and she immediately brought three butterbeers to the table, which James, Al, and Lily took. _

_"So," said Harry, casually taking a sip of his Firewhiskey. "What brings me here, today? I had a right old time trying to convince your mother that she couldn't come."_

_"No offence, Dad," said James. "But mum might have not understood it."_

_"Understood what?"_

_James and Al exchanged a knowing glance. Lily rolled her eyes and took another sip of her butterbeer. Al reached into his cloak and produced a bit of old parchment._

_"That damn thing," Lily said, rolling her eyes again. "James and Al are practically obsessed with it."_

_"Lily!" scolded Harry._

_"Sorry. But they are."_

_Harry nodded to his daughter. He reached over the table and took the parchment into his own hands. "You know what this is?" _

_J__ames and Al nodded. _

_"You know how to work it?" _

_The two of them nodded again._

_"Where did you get it?_

_James and Al glanced at each other and didn't answer._

_"Well? Where did you get it?" Harry's eyes bored into James._

_"I...uh...I nicked it from your desk...when I was in fifth year."_

_Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? How did you find out about it?"_

_"Um...well, when I was in fifth year...I got detention." Even though James was older and had already left Hogwarts, he was still afraid of Harry's firm look. He knew his father was actually quite easy going, but he knew that his father frowned upon a lot of his wrongdoing and troublemaking at school. _

_Harry nodded. "Very well. Continue."_

_"And...it was in the Forbidden Forest. With Hagrid. When I was there, I...uh...I tripped and fell. And I saw a weird-looking stone. It had a triangle and a circle and a line down the middle."_

_Harry's ears perked up, hearing the familiar description. "Did it look like this?" He pulled out a quill and drew out the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on a scrap piece of paper._

_"Yes!" exclaimed his three children._

_"Very well. What happened next?"_

_"Um...I turned it over like..."_

_"Thrice," supplied Al. James gave him a look and Al shrugged his shoulders. "Hurry up and tell Dad the story."_

_"Well, then...um...for lack of a better word, people started to appear."_

_"They weren't actually people," replied Al. "It was more like...an echo or something of them."_

_James gave Al another look. "Al, stop interrupting me!"_

_"Who did you see?" Harry asked, curious. He was beginning to put the pieces together. Of course, if Hermione was already here, she would have figured out exactly what his children were talking about._

_"Um...Grandfather James, Grandmother Lily..."_

_Harry nodded, a knot forming in his throat. "Oh," he said. "Is that all?"_

_Al shook his head. "Sirius. Teddy's father, Remus."_

_"You were there, also, Al?"_

_Al shook his head again. "No. I served my own detention during my fifth year. The same thing happened."_

_Harry nodded. "And you, Lily? The same detention?"_

_Lily nodded. "Yes. Last night, actually. And then Al called James and he showed up, insisting that we tell you."_

_"All right. You saw your grandparents, Sirius, and Remus?"_

_"And Uncle Fred," continued James. "And Professors Dumbledore and Snape."_

_At the last two names, Harry jerked his head quickly. "Dumbledore and Snape? They were there, too? For all of you?"_

_The three of them nodded. "Yes. All of them," answered Al. _

_"What...why...what did they say?"_

_"That they love us," replied James._

_"Even Snape?" asked Harry, wryly. He smiled._

_"Well, he...he..."_

_"He accepted us," said Al. "Said that I was worthy to be carrying his and Dumbledore's names." He grinned at his father, who grinned in return. The two of them were remembering Al, at the beginning of his first year, afraid of what house he was going to be placed in. "And...I couldn't really tell, but I think he was proud of me that I won the Potions award that year. And every year after," he added._

_"It was just one year after," replied Lily._

_"Well, I'm in line to get it this year!" _

_"Aww...ickle Head Boy glad to get his award," teased James._

_Harry glared at James. "Stop it, you two. What happened, then?"_

_"They...they taught us something," said Al._

_"Oh yeah?" He looked at Lily, who hasn't said too much about this detention, yet. "Lily? What were you taught?"_

_Lily furrowed her brow, thinking back to the previous night. "I...I guess...I think I learned that..."_

_"That you weren't crazy," teased James. "Remember, you said-"_

_"Thank you, James, I know what I said," she replied, crossly. She glanced at her father, taking a sip of her butterbeer. "I guess I learned that they are always with me. Even though I've never actually met them, they are always there. And they always know."_

_"That is something that I had to learn, also," Harry replied. He turned to Al. "Al? What about you?"_

_Al bit his lip, thinking a bit. "They showed me that I didn't have to rely on books and logic all the time. I could trust my heart, trust my instincts." _

_Harry smiled. "A bit like your Aunt Hermione, aren't you?" Although his son was about as tall as he was, maybe even a little taller, he ruffled his son's hair. "And you, James?"_

_James grinned. "Um...sort of the same thing as Lily. But Grandfather James was the one who told me about the Map and the Invisibility Cloak."_

_"And when did you nick it from my desk?"_

_James smirked. "In fifth year, during Christmas holidays. When you and Uncle Ron had gone out with the girls to Diagon Alley and it was just me, Teddy, and Al left all alone at home. Al, of course, was reading in his room. Teddy, I think was talking to Victoire on the Floo Network. I went into your office and saw the Map. Then I searched around for the Invisibility Cloak."_

_"How did you know it was in my office?"_

_"I just had a feeling."_

_"And let me guess, you passed the Map and the Cloak down to Al, here, when he received detention."_

_James shook his head. "Just the Map. But once he found out about it, we had a right good time, nicking food from the kitchens and sneaking into Hogsmeade."_

_"James!" scolded Al. "Dad, I don't sneak into Hogsmeade. I'm the good kid."_

_Harry smiled and laughed a bit. "You know, Remus told me when I was in my third year that my father would have been very disappointed if I hadn't found any of the secret passageways from the school. I wouldn't have been disappointed in you, kids, but...I am...a little pleased that you have found it. Have you told your cousins about the Map?"_

_"No, it's a Potter tradition!" exclaimed James._

_Harry laughed. "I think it'll be safe to let your cousins in on it. But maybe not Molly and Lucy, too much," he added, referring to his brother-in-law, Percy's children. "They may tell their father. But you've definitely got to tell your cousin, Fred. Your Uncle George and Uncle Fred were actually the ones who handed down the Map to me"_

_"You're not angry?" James looked incredulous._

_Harry pursed his lips. He shook his head. "I'm not mad. I'm actually quite astonished that you, James, had enough brilliance to steal the Map from me. And my Cloak. Do you still have it?"_

_James nodded, relieved that his father wasn't upset or angry. "Yes. I could return it to you now. I have no use for it anymore."_

_"I have no use for it, either. I can just Disillusion myself when I go out on Auror duties." He gestured to Al. "Why don't you let Al have a bit of fun with it? He's got a few more months at Hogwarts."_

_"No, give it to me!" protested Lily. "Al's HEAD BOY! He would never break the rules like that!"_

_Harry laughed. "The two of you can share it. I often used it with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, myself."_

_"Ooh, Father," James said with a laugh. "Breaking the rules, did you?"_

_"I daresay that Hagrid and Professor Longbottom has already filled your minds with some of my going-ons at school," Harry said with a smirk._

_"Professor Longbottom did spend a whole class period reliving the whole Department of Mysteries thing, once," Al said. "He made me pretend that I was you."_

_"Neville is one of the bravest people that I know."_

_"Doesn't mean we have to give him love every time we see him," Lily said, rolling her eyes._

James laughed at the memory as he continued down the way.

"What are you laughing at?" his younger brother asked, reaching James' side. The two walked side-by-side with each other with their younger sister following closely behind.

"I was just remembering when we finally told Dad about seeing them. In the forest."

"That was funny, I suppose," Al said, scrunching his face up at the memory. His hair still stood up on all ends, but it was now lined with gray. He shielded his striking green eyes as he glanced up at the sun. "Can we just get this over with?" he asked.

Though he was much older, Al was still pretty hesitant about breaking the rules. Granted, they weren't exactly breaking the rules, persay, but Al knew what they were doing would most likely be frowned upon.

"Do you think we'll even find it again?" he asked as he, his brother, and sister stopped in front of the Forbidden Forest.

"I wish Hagrid was still here," Lily complained, glancing at his old hut.

"Oh, he's resting now," replied James, putting an arm around his younger sister. "Leave him be."

"I know," Lily pouted. "I just miss him."

"I do, too." He smiled at his sister. The three of them faced the Forbidden Forest. "Well," James said. "I think we should be carrying on." Al and Lily nodded. Lily stood between her two older brothers and grasped their hands. They slowly and carefully began to walk forward, into the Forest, not knowing exactly where they were going.

They felt like they walked for hours, but in reality, it was only mere minutes since they had first stepped into the Forest.

"This looks familiar," said Lily.

"It feels familiar," replied Al.

"Keep a lookout, you two," James said, carefully sweeping the floor with his eyes.

After a few moments, Al dropped to his knees. He thought he saw something catch his eye. An odd-looking stone, with a curious symbol carved into it.

"I think I found it," he whispered.

* * *

I'm breaking this chapter up into two parts since it was longer than expected. Thanks for reading!


	5. Harry James Potter

Here is the final part of this story. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

* * *

"Good job, Al!" James said, speaking as if they were teenagers again and Al had just made a spectacular catch of the Snith. "Now, let's get this back up to Dad." He stood up straight and wiped the dirt off of his pants. "Don't let go of it, Al. We don't know when it'll reveal itself to us again. Remember what Dad said:..."

"I know, I know, don't abuse the Stone," replied Al. He closed his fingers around the Stone and felt the jagged markings in his hand. He stood up and looked around, half-hoping and half-remembering his grandparents, his uncle, his grandparents' best friends, and his father's old headmaster and professor.

"We have to hurry," Lily said. "Dad..."

"Don't worry, Lils." James took her hand. "We'll get back in time. And Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron are there with him. He's fine. He's just...waiting until he can see Mum again..."

Lily sadly smiled at him. She nodded. "Yeah..."

* * *

A few hours later, James, Al, and Lily entered number 12 Grimmauld Place. The place was quiet, but faint voices were heard carrying down from upstairs. James looked around at the bright hallway and nodded toward the stairs at his brother and sister. He brushed against the troll-leg umbrella stand and caught it before it fell over.

"Sounds like everyone's out except for Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione," he said in a low voice.

Lily gazed at an empty spot on the wall. It was lighter than the rest of the wall. "Ever wonder what fun we could've had if Mrs. Black's portrait was still here."

James gave her a mischievous smile while Al shook his head. "No, she would've just been yelling at us, according to what Dad said."

James and Lily shrugged their shoulders at his words. "Oh well," said James. "Would've been fun."

"But I do have to ask Aunt Hermione how she managed to get the Permanent Sticking Charm undone."

James shrugged again. "I'm just glad that they never touched Sirius' stuff in my old room."

"Are you going to leave it like that forever?" asked Lily.

"As long as it'll stay up," he answered matter-of-factly. "Besides, I think the kids like having the pictures of the motorcycles and Muggle women up." He and Lily laughed as Al shook his head at them, with a smile.

The three of them headed upstairs quietly, skipping over the creaky steps. They passed the row of shrunken house-elf heads and continued up to the master bedroom on the third floor. James chuckled as they passed by his old room, Sirius' old room, and continued to his parents' room. He lightly knocked on the half-open door.

"Dad?" he said in a small voice. He grinned as he walked into the room, kissing his Aunt Hermione on the cheek and clapping a hand to his Uncle Ron's shoulder. "We have it. Al found it."

Harry coughed and smiled at his eldest child. He was lying on his bed, above the covers, in red and gold pajamas. Despite being out of school for a long time, he didn't give up his love for his old house. "Thank you, James." He gestured around him. "Find a seat." He sat up and leaned against the bed frame. "Come in, Al, Lily."

Al and Lily hesitantly walked in.

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Lily asked, enveloping her father in a tight hug.

"Much better now that you are all here." He nodded and smiled at his two best friends.

Hermione understood the hint. "We'll be right downstairs if you need us." Ron nodded and smiled. The two of them headed for the door.

"Wait, Ron. Hermione."

They stopped and looked at Harry, who sat up and extended his arms to them. He gave each of them a long hug and smiled at the two of them. "You two are my very best friends. I love you both. And...I...I just can't imagine my life without you."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione cried with tears in her eyes.

Ron pursed his lips and nodded. He, too, had tears in his eyes. He didn't say anything as he led Hermione from the room. At the doorway, he turned around and faced Harry. "Harry...out of all the brothers that I've had...you...you're probably my favorite." He smiled and laughed a bit. "Take care, Harry."

"Shall I close the door, Dad?" asked Al, a little too politely.

Harry laughed. His green eyes twinkled and his children stared at him like he had gone mad. "No, no, Albus, my dear. Just sit down." Al sat down on Harry's bed. "Now, tell me, do you have it?"

Al nodded and reached into the pocket of his robes. "Yes, it's right here." He held it in a closed fist.

"Did you all find it all right? Did it take you ages?"

"It took almost no time at all. Just a few minutes, I think."

Harry nodded. "Maybe it was meant that you were supposed to find it and bring it to me." He glanced around a little suspiciously. "You three haven't-"

They all shook their heads.

"No, Dad," answered James. "We haven't touched it except for Al, here, who kept it safe for you."

Harry nodded. "Thank you." He sighed and glanced at each of his children. He raised his hand and brushed it against Lily's cheek. "You all know that I love you, right? And you've made my life such a joy. And I've loved every second of it." He glanced at James. "Every owl that we've received about your pranking." James smirked and looked away. Harry glanced at Al. "Every award." Al smiled and took his father's hand. Harry's gaze fell on Lily. "And every detention that you've received." Lily's cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed indignantly, but she didn't say anything because Harry started laughing. "I thought my life was...I thought my life was already full of surprises and joy...but you three, you've brought me all the happiness in the world and more. I love you, all."

"We love you, too, Dad," James said, throwing his arms around his father. Al and Lily followed suit.

James glanced at his brother and sister and knew they were fighting tears in their eyes. They didn't want their dad to see them upset and sad or crying. The four of them stayed hugging each other for a long time.

At long last, James released his family from his hold. "Well, Al? I think..." his breath caught in his throat. "I think we better get a move on."

Al nodded and held out his hand over his father's palm. In a quick second, Al opened his hands and Harry caught the small stone, still having Seeker's reflexes. He felt the Stone for a long time and moved his finger along the jagged markings of the sign of the Deathly Hallows.

How long ago it was that he searched for them and unknowingly became the Master of Death in his bid to defeat Voldemort.

How long ago it was that he even fought Voldemort.

How long ago it was that he attended Hogwarts.

And how long ago it was that he lived in the cupboard of his aunt and uncle's house.

Harry looked around and grinned at his three children sitting around him. This was just how he imagined it, how he planned it, even though he knew that you couldn't plan these things.

He gazed at his eldest son, James Sirius. From the moment he was born, Harry had taken in those hazel eyes and the black hair that stuck up everywhere and knew he was a James Potter. He had also decided on Sirius because those his father and his godfather were the two people that he needed and wanted close to him. And as James was growing up, Harry knew that he was living up to his namesakes'. Both of them. Sirius had only alluded to the trouble that he and James had gotten into at Hogwarts, but since they made the Marauders' Map, Harry had no doubt that his father and grandfather were trouble at Hogwarts. He vaguely remembered Madame Rosmerta, from the pub at Hogsmeade, talking about how his father and his godfather would come to her pub and make her laugh.

Harry then gazed at his middle child, Albus Severus. From the moment Albus opened his eyes, Harry saw his mother's eyes staring back at him. He knew he had to honor those eyes, but his wife refused to allow Harry to name their second son, Lily. Harry smiled, amused at the memory. He had taken the mickey from Ron for even suggesting it. So Harry decided to name him Severus after the man who gave up his life to protect the son of the woman that he loved. And Harry knew that he also had to honor the greatest headmaster, the one who taught him many things. And he named his son Albus Severus. Again, Harry believed that the name was chosen well. It was like a wand, it chooses the wizard or witch. Albus was very different than his older brother. He was quieter, more studious, and more reserved. Much of what Harry imagined Dumbledore and Snape to be when they were at Hogwarts. Albus also had an aptitude towards Potions and Harry thought of how Snape must be proud of that.

He then turned to his youngest. His only daughter. Lily Luna. From the moment she was born and Harry caught sight of the infamous red hair, he first assumed it was the red hair of his wife's family. But as she and Harry continued to stare at their daughter, they noticed that her hair was not the flaming red hair of the Weasleys. It was a softer red, dark and almost auburn. When Harry noticed this, he blurted out his mother's name and his wife vehemently agreed. They also saw one of their old friends in their daughter, Luna Lovegood. Harry had hoped that his daughter would be as comfortable and at ease with herself as Luna was. He had hoped that his daughter would see the world as Luna did. And she did. She carried the same grace as her grandmother, the same fire as her mother, and the same curiousity and open mind of Luna. Harry knew it was this open mind that opened Lily to marry Scorpius Malfoy. It must've been the first Gryffindor and Slytherin marriage of all time, he had thought.

Harry thought back to Scorpius' father and his longtime Hogwarts enemy, Draco. They were no longer enemies; how could they be when their children were married to one another? No, they were no longer enemies. They came together, although it was in a strange way, but it did happen. The Room of Requirement. Harry knew now that Draco never truly wanted to be what his father was. He knew that Draco merely only wanted to make his father proud and keep his mother safe. It did truly disgust him, the things that Voldemort had forced Draco to do. It almost made Harry pity Draco. For years after the final battle at Hogwarts, Harry and Draco were always civil to one another. They were never friends, but the relationship between the two had changed from when they were at school. Harry had done all he could in his power to keep Draco and his parents, Lucius and Narcissa, out of Azkaban. It worked and Harry hoped that the Malfoys had learned their lesson. It seemed that they did. Lucius still retained some of his old prejudices, but Harry knew that he wouldn't be able to change those overnight. Narcissa and Draco seemed to be more tolerant, though. Draco and his wife, Astoria, raised their son to be without the same prejudices that Draco had when he was growing up. He was open-minded of all blood types and his best friend at Hogwarts was even a Muggle-born, who was placed in Slytherin, to everyone's surprise.

But Harry didn't want to think about them in his last few moments. Instead, he focused on the three faces in front of him and the two who had left the room.

Ron and Hermione. The memories he had with these two are beyond irreplaceable. The three of them had long ago placed many of their memories in a Penseive, at James' insistence, saying that he wanted the memories of the three of them to be preserved and to live forever because that's what their friendship deserved. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew that James just wanted to see firsthand what happened during the war. They obliged him, but only because they, too, wanted their memories to last long after their death. Harry had been through so much with the pair of them that he didn't even know where to begin thinking of them. He first thought back to the very first train ride to Hogwarts. That was where he met both of them for the first time. And then he thought about the troll, way back in first year. That was what made them become friends. The three of them. He smiled, thinking about it. They went through hell and back, at his side, just for him. Harry didn't deserve such good friends.

"Ron...Hermione..."

He closed his eyes, still thinking about his two best friends.

After a few moments, he felt a warm hand over his own. "We're here, Harry," he heard Hermione say in a tearful voice.

"Hermione...remember when you set those birds on Ron?" he asked, smiling as he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Don't remind her, mate," replied Ron, turning a bit pink around the ears.

"Remember the spiders that Hagrid made us go into the Forest after?"

"Erm...don't remind me." Ron rolled his eyes, but smiled at Harry.

"Just rest, Harry," Hermione said.

"Did...did I ever tell you what was in the Snitch?" Harry asked. He saw his children stand together on one side of the room.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and shook their head. "You didn't have to tell us, Harry," replied Hermione. "What's done is done. You've already beaten him."

"It was the Stone," Harry said, acting like he didn't hear or listen to Hermione. "The Resurrection Stone. It was true. The tale of the Three Brothers. The Deathly Hallows. It was true."

Ron looked surprised and Hermione looked skeptical. "Harry, you-"

"No, Hermione, it was true. All of it. The Invisibility Cloak." Harry glanced at James and Al. "The Elder Wand." He glanced at Lily. "And the Resurrection Stone." Harry held his hand out and opened his palm to reveal the Stone.

Ron looked incredulous. "But doesn't that mean-"

"Oh, Harry!" Tears freely flowed from Hermione's face.

Harry nodded and smiled sadly. "I love you guys." He looked at Ron. "You...you were my first friend, ever. I will always, always treasure that." He turned to Hermione. "And you, Hermione. You kept me alive at school!"

"That wasn't me, that was all Dumbledore and Snape."

Harry shook his head. "No. It was you. You were the one who forced us to do our homework."

"To study for those damn exams," added Ron.

"Who helped me with the Triwizard Tournament."

"Who punched Malfoy." Ron glanced apologetically at Lily. "No offense, Lily."

"Who made me keep my mind on destroying the Horcruxes and not finding the Hallows. I don't now what I could've done without you, Hermione."

"Well...now you've got all three of them, anyway," said Hermione, tearfully.

Harry nodded. "It's time, you know. To greet it like an old friend. To finally be able to rest after all these years." His eyes filled with tears. "To be reunited with my dad, my mum. Sirius, Remus. Fred. And...and Ginny. I've kept her waiting for too long." He looked around the room and gestured his children to come nearer. "Ron, Hermione. I know they no longer need it, but look after my children. Look after my grandchildren. I love you, both and I truly cannot imagine life without either of you." He glanced at his children. "You three have made my life worth living. You have all at one point, drove me insane and back, but for that, I love you even more. I love watching you grow up, watching you all marry and have your own children."

"We love you, too, Dad." The three of them said in unison.

"I never thought I'd be a dad," Harry said fondly looking at his children. "I never even thought that I'd live to see the end of my seventh year at Hogwarts. But the three of you have made this experience truly memorable. I've loved every second of it. And I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in this world. I love you."

At once, Harry held up his hand and turned the Stone over three times. Almost suddenly, it was like a curtain had been drawn, blocking Ron, Hermione, James, Albus, and Lily from him. He could still hear and feel them around him, but it was almost like they were fading. He could hear the cries and feel the tears, but it was so faint and so light that it may not have been there.

He closed his eyes and opened them a second later.

"Hi, Son." His father's hazel eyes were an inch away from his own.

"Dad!" Harry said, trying to sit up.

"Harry. I'm so proud of you!"

"Mum!"

"And what about us?"

"Sirius! Remus!"

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?"

Harry laughed. "Hi, Fred."

"Well, well, Harry. It seems like you have finally chosen to, uh, what did you call it? Board a train?"

"Professor Dumbledore, I believe you called it boarding a train. I merely said that it looked like we were at King's Cross station."

"A train, Potter? That's what you make of us?"

"And Professor Snape." Harry looked upon the hook-nosed man in front of him. His hair no longer seemed greasy, but he was still wearing long robes of black. "I've never thanked you for-"

"No matter, Potter," Snape said, holding up a hand.

Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Well, well. We should be on our way, right? James, Lily, if you would help Harry out of bed..."

James and Lily helped Harry stand and in a flash, Harry's gold and red pajamas were gone. In its place was his old Auror's uniform, even though he had been retired for years.

"Wait-" started Harry. "What about-"

Harry turned his head and if he was still breathing, he was sure that it stopped in his chest. For there, standing in a beam in front of him was his lovely wife.

"So you have finally decided to join me, have you?" Ginny asked, smirking as she slowly walked towards Harry.

"Well, I had to let you all catch up, didn't I?" Harry grinned. He leaned over and gave Ginny a long kiss. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

He took her hand in one of his own and took his mother's hand in the other. He smiled at both of them and glanced at Dumbledore.

"I'm ready."


End file.
